How to assess the Personal Project?

The assessment of the Personal Project follows three main criteria: Criterion A Planning, Criterion B Applying skills, and Criterion C Reflecting. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels (1–8), divided into four bands that generally represent limited (1–2); adequate (3–4); substantial (5–6); and excellent (7–8) performance. You can find more information about each assessment criterion and its grade descriptors in the MYP Personal Project Guide.

Steps to of the assessment

Standardization

Supervisors and the Personal Project Coordinator meet to align grading practices by reviewing samples using the MYP assessment criteria. This ensures that all students are assessed consistently and fairly, regardless of their supervisor.

Assessment

Each student’s report is assessed by the supervisor using the four MYP Personal Project criteria. Ideally, more than one assessor should review each report to ensure consistency and alignment with the assessment standards.

Moderation

Moderation takes place after internal assessment and standardization have been completed by the school. The IB randomly selects a representative sample of projects from the cohort to be assessed by trained IB moderators. If the school’s marks are aligned, no change is made. If there are significant discrepancies, the IB adjusts the marks for all students accordingly.

Assessment tips

When assessing the PP, provide a brief written explanation for each mark awarded. This not only supports moderation and internal review but also helps in giving clear feedback to students.

Reviewing annotated samples as a team helps align expectations and calibrate assessment practices, leading to greater consistency and confidence among supervisors.